


attractive-cute

by mvrcredi



Series: cap-iron bingo fills [15]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Kid Steve Rogers, M/M, Pre-Slash, Stony Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-28 09:10:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18206453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mvrcredi/pseuds/mvrcredi
Summary: Steve is temporarily de-aged, and Tony is put in charge of taking care of him.But then Steve turns back.





	attractive-cute

**Author's Note:**

> fill for my 'de-aged' bingo square.

Tony sighs. “Steve, please.”

Steve tilts his chin up in defiance, crossing his arms over his frail chest. There’s a slight scowl on his now much, much smaller face. If Tony wasn’t so worried about this transformation being irreversible, he’d likely find the uncharacteristic height difference and unusually less-than-intimidating glare comical.

“You need sleep, Steven Grant,” Tony tries in his most authoritative voice. “You can’t grow up big and strong without sleep.”

Steve pouts. “Doesn’t matter. ‘M never gonna grow up big and strong.”

Tony huffs. “Don’t say that. Of course you will.”

Steve, just as stubborn as before, shakes his head in disagreement. “Never will.”

Tony shoots child-Steve a sympathetic look before reaching to the boy to pick him up. Steve lets himself get lifted off the ground without protest, thankfully. Tony props Steve on his hip.

“How about,” Tony kisses Steve’s head, “we go watch a movie, and _then_ you can go to bed? Does that sound good? Can we make a deal?”

Steve, being much younger and less experienced, was unable to hide his ‘thinking face’ expression. With his face contorted in concentration, he went through the outcomes as a six-year-old would see them, before nodding.

Clint watches across the room in disbelief. “I can’t believe... how did you do that so easily?”

Tony barks out a laugh. “He just likes me better than you. Ain’t that right, bud?”

Steve, being the mischievous little bastard he was, nods at Clint with wide, innocent blue eyes. Clint frowns before muttering something under his breath and leaving the room. Steve then turns to smile at Tony, who returns the favour.

“’Atta boy,” Tony ruffles Steve’s hair with his free hand. “Now let’s go watch that movie, shall we?”

Tony walks to the common room with Steve gripping to him like a koala. He had gotten JARVIS to queue up several Disney movies just in case Steve would give him a hard time after one film, but as it turns out, Steve was more tired than he had let on. Around three quarters through their first movie, _Snow White_ , Steve was already quietly snoring into Tony’s neck. The child had been sitting in Tony’s lap and had gradually curled himself closer to Tony. Tony was gently petting Steve’s hair, mindlessly watching the movie on screen.

When Tony shuts his eyes, and slowly begins to fall asleep, he’s almost certain he hears a camera click. However, he can’t find it in himself to care.

 

-=-

 

When Tony wakes up, his neck is sore, and there is a rather heavy weight draped over him. Uncomfortable and slightly disoriented, Tony stretches—or at least tries to. His arms are trapped under the mystery weight.

Curious, Tony blinks his eyes open only to be greeted by a full-sized supersoldier drooling on his t-shirt, unchanged from the night before. Tony has a brief panic, not quite sure what to do with Steve. As a kid, Tony had had no trouble talking to the man he normally had feelings for. As his regular, old self... well. That was a different story.

Tony couldn’t exactly slip Steve off of him, either, as Steve’s arms were wrapped around his neck. His only option was to wake the man up, and _boy_ did Tony not want to do that.

He clears his throat, shifting a bit. “Hey, Steve. Wake up.”

There’s a moment of silence before Steve mumbles into Tony’s neck, “Don’t wanna.”

 “Steve, you gotta. I can’t feel my legs, you big lug.”

The supersoldier groans, lifting his head. He blinks groggily at Tony for a moment before his eyes widen in realization. “Tony? Why am I...? What happened?”

“Uh,” Tony chuckles weakly. “Funny story?”

“Funny... story? Mind elaborating?”

“You were, um,” Tony coughs. “On the mission yesterday you were hit by some of Loki’s magic. It, uh, kind of turned you into a kid? And you were, well, pretty stubborn about going to bed so I suggested watching a movie first, so. Yeah. That’s how we got... here. I guess.”

“Oh,” Steve blushes. “So I was...? Okay. Alright.”

Tony raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t comment other than saying, “So are you going to get off me, or what? I still can’t feel my legs. Six-year-old you was much lighter.”

“Oh, um. Sorry,” Steve apologizes before scrambling off Tony, pushing himself to the side of the couch. They both lean away from each other, awkward and unsure of what to do. Both men are silent for some time. Thank goodness for a lack of other Avengers in the common room.

“You know,” Tony eventually starts, “you were a pretty cute kid.”

Steve gives a half-hearted laugh. “Right. I’m sure cute is the way you’d want to describe m—I mean. It. Yeah. Um. Not me, but me as a, a kid. That’s what I meant.”

Despite the previous awkwardness, Tony finds it in himself to laugh at Steve’s rambling. He turns to look at the Steve, who’s blushing furiously. They make brief eye contact before Steve ducks his head.

“I mean,” Tony shrugs, “you’re cute now, too. But like, attractive-cute.”

Steve chews his lip, his bright blush beginning to fade away. He looks back at Tony. “You really think so?”

Tony nods. “Mm hm. Have for a while.”

Steve takes a moment to process his words, a smile creeping up on his lips. “Well, for the record. I think you’re cute, too. _Attractive_ -cute,” he teases.

“Oh,” Tony blinks a couple times, before grinning himself. “Then in that case... want to... I don’t know... go on a date sometime?”

Steve inclines his head adorably, smiling shyly at Tony. “I’d... I’d like that.”


End file.
